A Grim Night
by Gazlover12-Canada
Summary: Late in the night during a storm, Arthur Kirkland receives an unexpected visitor in the form of a dog. One-shot!


Arthur Kirkland had only just finished his nightly cup of tea, a book now resting in his lap as he sat in front of a roaring fireplace. They were due for quite an intense storm tonight, and already he could hear the wind increasing outside. While most people would probably be aggravated, he took comfort in these types of storms. The best part would be waking up in the morning and going outside to see the aftermath… smelling the fresh scent of wet grass, and sensing how calm everything was.

Right now however, all he could really do was sit inside by the fire and listen to the increasing pitter patter on the rooftop. Alfred had texted him a little while earlier, inviting him to visit after the next world meeting, which would be held in New York the month after next. He hadn't yet replied, although he knew that no matter how he answered he would be forced to visit anyway.

Perhaps a little vacation would do him good, even if it was in America of all places. Lately things had kept him busy and tired. He really hadn't seen any other nations for awhile. The last one had been Francis, and that had been several weeks ago. It was hard to decide whether or not he wanted to see them all. Sometimes it felt like he could spend years in isolation, but the lonely ache in his heart had been rather prominent lately.

Call it six sense, but suddenly Arthur realized that he had a visitor, and an important one at that. Standing rather abruptly, he let the shawl that had been draped around his shoulders fall soundlessly to the floor, setting his book down on an end table. He all but threw open the front door, and was rather startled upon discovering who had come.

A large black dog lay in a sopping mess at his doorstep, honestly looking more dead than alive.

A frown formed on the Englishman's lips. "Hmm...this is certainly a surprise."

It was a little difficult to get the dog inside. But upon touching him, Arthur realized that the poor creature was half starved form the way his ribs showed. He would have deemed it dead had he not felt a faint heartbeat.

He laid the large dog on a carpet in front of the fire, studying him. Something was definitely off about this dog. His first thought had foolishly been the grim, but he quickly pushed that nonsense aside. This was not a creature of death, it was a creature in need.

It had been awhile since he'd had a dog for a pet. In the modern days he was simply too busy to care for one, with his constant meetings with his boss and other nations. The country took a towel and began gently wiping the water from the dog's face. He dearly hoped that it wasn't an aggressive dog, like strays could often be. But that feeling in his gut told him that this dog was special somehow, so he needed to help it.

As the minutes passed, the fire slowly did it's job to dry the soaking wet fur. Arthur sat crosslegged on the floor beside him, having picked his book back up and continued reading it. As he became more engrossed in the story, he found his hand absentmindedly stroking the animal's head, behind his ears and under his chin.

A moment later, something cold pressed against his hand...a nose. It seemed that his visitor had finally awoke. Arthur looked down, his green eyes meeting pale ones.

"Ah, hello. I'm glad to see you're awake." He found himself saying, slightly cautious as the large dog sized him up, seemingly looking very guarded. When the animal growled slightly, he moved his hand away from it's snout.

"Don't go giving me that. You're the one who appeared on my doorstep, after all."

The dog gave a small whine, dropping it's head back to the ground. Arthur found his lips twitching upward. "You just stay there. I'll go get you something to eat...by the looks of it you could use a good meal."

To Arthur's slightly surprise, the dog's tongue lolled out of his mouth, and his tail gave a few thumps. That made the nation's smile increase, and he set out to his kitchen to find something suitable. He really didn't have much. There was some burnt chicken he'd made the other night. He also found a package of uncooked hot dogs.

He made up a plate of the chicken and chopped up hot dogs, and hesitated a moment before pouring a bit of milk into a bowl, before returning to his guest. At the sight of food, the dog's tail thumped more against the floor, and he gave another impatient whine.

"I know, I know," He murmured, setting the plate and bowl before the animal. He had barely even set them all the way down before the creature began gobbling the food up. Arthur watched patiently, sitting a bit of a distance back as to not crowd him.

Actually, the more Arthur really studied him, he knew that this dog was not entirely a dog. He could sense the magic within him. Likely the dog had come here because he'd also sensed Arthur. He did always attract magical beings. Once the dog had finished, he looked much more aware. He gave a bark that almost sounded like thank you.

"It's not a problem," Arthur replied. "Now listen here, it's getting late. I know you probably want to go on your way, but at least stay here for the night until the storm finishes. Then you're free to leave."

The dog rumbled in agreement, curling up more closer to the fire.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Have a goodnight."

The next morning when Arthur awoke, the dog was gone and the blankets he had been sleeping on were folded neatly and set on the chair.

**Review and tell me what you thought! **

**I'm sure you know who the dog was. Anyway, this is set shortly after Sirius broke out of Azkaban. **


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